Geo file

April 2011
Online 642

Paul Bennett

Case Study of Urban Regeneration –

the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham
Regeneration within urban areas Figure 1: The spiral of decline in inner city areas
in the United Kingdom has largely
been confined to the centres (Central One or more
Business Districts) and inner city economic activities Area becomes less
areas which are located in a zone like a factory/s shut attractive for existing
surrounding the CBD. Inner city down in an urban area economic activities as well
areas saw very rapid growth as as possible new activities
manufacturing and residential areas
during the industrial revolution in
the 18th and 19th centuries. Since Jobs are lost and Linked economic
the mid 1970s some inner city areas people migrate away activities decline
have become less popular as places from the area.
to live and as locations for economic
activities. Residents have moved
out because of poor quality of life
and unemployment. Factories have Fewer skilled Decreased demand for
closed as a result of an increasingly jobs services like shops and
globalised economy which has entertainment, so these
Less money
services close
seen some types of manufacturing collected by local
transferred to locations outside councils in taxes,
the United Kingdom. Sites on the so less money to
spend on improving
edges of urban areas or close to The fabric and environment of the area
the attractiveness
motorway junctions have generally decline, buildings become derelict
of the area.
become more popular locations for
manufacturing or new economic
activities like superstores. As a
result, some inner city areas have in communications; on social the north west of the centre of
often experienced a spiral of decline improvement (eg improving Birmingham (Figure 2(a)), but
(Figure 1). educational and training as Birmingham grew rapidly in
opportunities) and finally on the 18th and 19th centuries as a
National government and environmental improvements such manufacturing centre, bedrooms in
as revitalising green spaces or by the houses in the Quarter were converted
regeneration creation of new parks in urban areas. into workrooms, and then many
The problems of inner city areas have buildings were converted fully to
long been recognised and various Many urban areas, however, have manufacturing or were knocked
groups have worked both separately not been targeted by the initiatives down and replaced by factory
and in combination to try and outlined above, and in these areas buildings. As Birmingham boomed as
‘rebrand’ these areas by changing any regeneration has largely taken a manufacturing city, four groups of
their image and by regenerating place as a result of the work of a industries developed: guns, jewellery,
(renewing or revitalising) to reverse number of different interested toys and metal working. Some of
the spiral of decline and to give players or stakeholders. These have these industries, like the manufacture
them them a more sustainable and included organisations supported of jewellery and the making of
prosperous future. In the last 30 years by national government, local guns, tended to locate in specific
central government has introduced a government, non-governmental areas (Figure 2(a)). Manufacturing
variety of schemes in specific parts of organisations like Friends Groups, industry continued to grow in the
urban areas, such as: private organisations and individual 20th century, and new so-called
residents. These groups can work ‘metal-bashing’ industries developed,
• property-led regeneration through separately and in cooperation to bring some of which were also located in
urban development corporations about regeneration both directly and the Jewellery Quarter, such as the
• partnerships between local indirectly in an area. manufacture of washing machines.
and national government and However the main manufacturing
privately owned companies
• City Challenge projects
The Jewellery Quarter in industry in the area continued to
be the making of gold and silver
• flagship projects Birmingham jewellery.
• sustainable communities One such inner city area where
regeneration by a number of The Jewellery Quarter, as well as
Such regeneration schemes have different groups or players has the rest of Birmingham, felt the full
focused on the economy of the taken place is the Jewellery Quarter force of the decline of manufacturing
area, largely by the creation of job in Birmingham. Originally, it was in Britain in the 1970s, with many
opportunities or by improvements a wealthy residential area just to of the businesses making metal

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April 2011  no.642  Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham
Figure 2(a): The location of the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham; (b): the location of new developments in the Jewellery
Quarter; (c): the pattern of land use in St Paul’s Square

(a) Tame (b) N

Valley Hylton
N Tame Street
Canal
Valley Development
Key Hill Cemetery
Canal
Not to
To
Station scale
Wolverhampton
Jewellery and
Warstone Lane Cemetery silver centre
Birmingham
1
Canal
2 The Big Peg
Ladywood Boundary of the Midland Metro
Sparkbrook Jewellery quarter (light railway)

Selly Oak Sparkhill Site for

Warwick and Golden Canal
Bournville Birmingham Square
Kings Canal
Norton St. Paul’s
Place St. Paul’s
Square
Worcester
Birmingham To
Canal Snow Hill
Art gallery Clothes Newhall
(c)
Caroline
Station

Street
Square
Key Club Scheme To city
Boundary of city N centre

Railway and Metro line

of Birmingham St. Paul’s Place Restaurant
City centre
1 Jewellery quarter
Not to Offices
2 Gunsmiths quarter scale

Pub
Canals St. Paul’s Church
and grounds
Pub

Dentist Estate Agent

Restaurant

To city centre
Jam Abbey Photographic
(to city centre)

Key
Ludgate Hill

Café House College Studio

Apartments
Car
Shops
Park
Factories Hairdressers

products closing down leading to working in combination. One such encourage sustainable economic
an increasing number of derelict example of this approach is the development. (Regional
factories. A number of people left Hylton Street
GeoFile Development
Series 29 Issue 3 (Figure Development Agencies were
the area as well. However the area 3).
FigThe
642_02location of this development
Mac/eps/illustrator 11 s/s abolished by the Coalition
was considered to have considerable NELSON THORNES PUBLISHING
is shown in Figure 2(b). This will Government in September 2010
Artist: David Russell Illustration
potential for regeneration, because of involve the spending of £2.5 million and will be replaced by new
its location within walking distance on the redevelopment of a Grade bodies called Local Enterprise
of city centre offices and its unique 2 listed building in the Jewellery Partnerships. It is not yet
mix of residential properties, small Quarter (to the left of the picture), to possible to say what effects that
workshops and retail shops selling provide 13 living and working units might have on this development.)
jewellery, clocks, watches and specifically created for jewellery • The Housing and Communities
antiques. There are also offices and designers and manufacturers to Agency (HCA). This was
a small entertainment/cultural zone rent. The properties will have set up by the government in
containing bars, clubs, restaurants separate workshops and living December 2008. This Agency
and art galleries. Figure 2(c) shows space, with between one and three has considerable powers and
the pattern of mixed land use in St bedrooms. In the past it was felt that currently has a budget of £5
Paul’s Square, which is typical of graduate designers and potential billion annually. Its aims are
the Jewellery Quarter as a whole and manufacturers of jewellery had to support the development of
which makes it such a distinctive area. moved out of Birmingham because high-quality housing, improve
Today there are approximately 700 of a lack of suitable and affordable the infrastructure of areas and
jewellery-related businesses in the units to live and work in. This develop schemes for regeneration
Quarter, 400 of which manufacture scheme hopes to reverse that trend. in England.
jewellery, accounting for 25% of The project is being funded by a • Urban Living. This is one of
Britain’s jewellery production. partnership of different government- nine Housing Market Renewal
funded agencies and illustrates how Pathfinder organisations
Regeneration through these can work together to bring set up and financed by the
organisations supported by about regeneration in an area. These government’s Department
agencies are: of Communities and Local
central government – the Government to develop specific
Hylton Street Development • Advantage West Midlands. localities. Urban Living covers
This is one of the nine Regional parts of Birmingham and
Regeneration in the Quarter has been Development Agencies Sandwell in the West Midlands.
encouraged by central government- in England which used These organisations have a 15-
funded organisations (public partners) government funds to try and year programme to improve
Geofile Online © Nelson Thornes 2011
 April 2011  no.642  Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham

housing in neighbourhoods will look to achieve these aims will Regeneration through non-
where there is a shortage of be through improved marketing of
affordable housing. the area by: government organisations
As well, an organisation called • providing an information centre
like Friends Groups
Midland Heart is also involved in • developing a website to attract There are few green spaces in the
the Hylton Street development. visitors Quarter, two of the largest being Key
This is a housing and regeneration • providing a tourism guide Hill and Warstone Lane Cemeteries
group dating back to the 1920s • working with other agencies on (Figure 2(b)). Key Hill cemetery is
which owns or manages 32,000 joint initiatives to liaise with a rare example of an early Victorian
properties across the West TV and radio, hotels, conference garden cemetery. It was opened in
Midlands. Its aim is to develop organisers and travel operators. 1836 in a former quarry and is the
affordable rented housing. oldest non-churchyard cemetery in
Birmingham. Local residents have
Regeneration through local The Big City Plan formed themselves into a Friends
Group (a not for profit volunteer
government – the role of The Council’s latest plans for the organisation) to try and refurbish and
area are part of its Big City Plan,
Birmingham City Council announced in October 2010 to
maintain the cemeteries, which have
become derelict due to long-term
The Jewellery Quarter has not redevelop 2000 acres of land in the neglect. To help bring this about, a
benefited from any of the large- city centre with the aim of creating scheme has been developed whereby
scale central government initiatives 50,000 jobs. As part of this Plan, residents can ‘adopt’ old graves which
such as Property Led Regeneration Birmingham Council has approved have not been maintained for many
or City Challenge. However local a scheme for the building of a new years and then plant flowers and
government has been particularly public square (the Golden Square) bulbs. The group has also secured
active in the area. Birmingham City on land at the corner of Warstone funding to restore the Icknield Street
Council has long been an important Lane and Vyse Street (Figure 2(b)), entrance gates to Key Hill cemetery,
player in the drive to rebrand the which it is hoped will become a new which are of artistic and architectural
Jewellery Quarter by re-imaging centre for the Jewellery Quarter. merit. The Friends also hold regular
and regeneration. The Council fund Construction of this £1.5 million clean-up sessions and are carrying
the administrative support for, and development will begin in the out research into the history of the
are an important member of, the summer of 2011 and the aim is to cemeteries and the people buried
Jewellery Quarter Regeneration complete it by spring 2012. The there. It is hoped that the cemeteries
Partnership, which meets twice square will be divided into three can also be used as a place of exercise
a year. Membership of this body parts: a plaza where public events for residents. This group is supported
includes representatives from such as concerts and farmers’ by Birmingham Council and other
businesses in the Quarter as well as markets as well as temporary regeneration groups like English
residents. This body has produced exhibitions can be staged, a grassed Heritage.
a Jewellery Quarter Regeneration area containing orchard trees, and
Charter, which has two aims. a promenade. There will also be
The first is to develop a vibrant a canopy at the entrance to the Private organisations and
atmosphere in the Quarter which square which will be decorated with
will attract people to live, work gold leaf to reflect the importance regeneration
and spend their leisure time there. of jewellery making in the area. There are several examples in the
Secondly, the Charter wants the The project will be funded from Jewellery quarter of schemes funded
Quarter to act as a ‘honey pot’ for the Heritage Lottery Fund, by private developers, looking to
creative businesses, ranging from which distributes money from the make money from renting or selling
jewellery businesses to arts and National Lottery to schemes which work spaces, housing and offices.
media. One of the ways the Council are important to Britain’s heritage. These firms are hoping to profit

Figure 3: The Hylton Street Development Figure 4: The Newhall Square scheme

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April 2011  no.642  Case Study of Urban Regeneration – the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham

from these developments while also A group of residents have organised station is within walking distance
playing an important part in the a Jewellery Quarter Farmers Market and from here people can easily reach
regeneration process, by improving (called ‘The 24 Carrots Farmers airportd in London and Birmingham.
building quality and by bringing Market’), which takes place once
people into the area. An example a month with the primary aim of Improvement has taken place as
of a private developer looking to increasing the number of people a result of the renovation of old
create work units is the Society visiting the Quarter. This Forum is housing by new residents, or by
for the Protection of Artistic and also the prime mover in trying to the conversion into housing of
Cultural Enterprise (SPACE). This secure World Heritage status for the former non-residential property (see
organisation has redeveloped part of Jewellery Quarter. A World Heritage above for examples of this), or by a
the Big Peg building (Figure 2(b)). site is a location listed by the United combination of both.
This building was built originally as Nations Educational, Scientific and
a modern office building in 1960 but Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as Gentrification can lead to a change
it had become rather run down in a site of special physical and cultural in the character of an area. As the
recent years. The SPACE Company significance; this would raise the residents are now wealthier, they
(using finance from banks as well profile of the Jewellery Quarter have more money to spend in bars
as public funds and grants) has enormously, both in Britain and and restaurants and high-order
refurbished the building, creating abroad. shops selling expensive products.
new offices and workspaces for arts, This tends to make the area more
media and creative enterprises, Gentrification attractive to wealthier people, so
including 70 penthouse studios. The a positive multiplier effect can
building also houses a restaurant and Individual residents also help to result which can lead to a sustained
the Big Peg Gallery which hosts art regenerate the area, indirectly improvement in the wealth of the
exhibitions. through the process of gentrification. area. The development of bars and
This involves regeneration through restaurants in St Paul’s Square
Two other developments to create improvement of the quality of can be seen as evidence for this.
housing and offices are the St Paul’s housing in an inner city area. It Gentrification can also lead to an
Place development and the Newhall is regeneration brought about by increase in house prices, which can
Square scheme on Newhall Street individuals or groups of individuals, price some low-income residents
and Charlotte Street (Figure 4). not agencies or the government. out of the market. As well, with the
The St Paul’s Place development Like most inner city areas, the development of housing for single
(developed by Chord Developments) Jewellery Quarter was an area of people or couples, families with
has seen the renovation of the factories and housing mixed together children can often find it difficult
Thomas Walker Building, a former in an unplanned way. Much of the to find suitable housing. It is hoped
buckle-making factory, into a housing was of poor quality, and that the building of new affordable
series of 177 luxury apartments as over time had become occupied by housing developments might prevent
well as office space surrounding a people from low income groups, this happening in the Jewellery
landscaped communal courtyard. who could not necessarily afford Quarter.
The development covers 7700 square to maintain it. However the area
metres. This development also is close to Birmingham city centre
contains a residents’ car park created which has been benefiting from re-
underground. The Newhall Square urbanisation, or the movement of
scheme is a larger development people back into city centres due to
projected to cost £63 million and urban regeneration, and has become
covering 9500 square metres. It an increasingly popular as a place to
consists of a mix of apartments live for young well-paid professional
(234 are planned), retail units, a people who want to live close to work
car park, offices and a Travelodge and the entertainment attractions
Hotel (100 beds) which has already found in the city centre. The good
opened (Figure 4). As part of this railway links found in the city centre
development, a large public square (as are also an attraction, as New Street
large as five tennis courts) is under
construction on land which is next to
a canal. This development is on the
site of the former Museum of Science Focus Questions
and Industry, which closed in 1997.
1. With reference to inner city areas, suggest what evidence can be used to
show decline, and give the reasons why decline has taken place.
The role of individual
residents in regeneration of 2. Explain what is meant by gentrification, and using an example/s, suggest
how effective it has been in the regeneration of urban areas.
the Jewellery Quarter
Residents of the Jewellery Quarter 3. Using examples of inner city areas, describe the roles of different players
have set up the Jewellery Quarter who are involved in attempts to rebrand these areas.
Neighbourhood Forum, which aims
to give local residents a say in issues 4. Using examples, suggest how political factors can affect land use in
affecting the Quarter and also works urban areas.
to improve quality of life in the area.
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